It was a stunning man marking performance on Ronan Hayes.
Clough-Ballacolla's Willie Hyland didn't mince his words when speaking about team-mate Darren Maher in the aftermath of their three-point victory over Kilmacud Crokes.
'He's the most underrated hurler we've had for the last number of years.' he said confidently.
No mean feat when you look at the standard of player among the back-to-back Laois champions panel.
To be fair this will rank up there with the most satisfying performances in Maher's career, holding a man in the form of Ronan Hayes to a point from play was absolutely crucial in Clough-Ballcolla coming out on top on the day.
It was a complete performance from 1-15, but it was established beforehand that keeping Hayes and his partner in crime Alex Considine quiet was a major part of any successful game plan, something Declan Laffan and co executed with aplomb.
Hyland didn't reserve his praise to just one sentence either, he continued:
I said it to Darren before the game and I've been hurling with him since we were seven-years-old, I've probably never worried about who he was marking because he has the heart of a lion.
I knew when he was marking Ronan Hayes that look there's only going to be one winner.
I just knew that Darren would deliver. I was more concerned about how we would help him out by not letting easy, clean ball into Ronan Hayes to be honest with you.
What a fellow. What a game..'
🗣️ "It's a dream to get to a Leinster final with your club"@Clough_Bcolla defender Darren Maher spoke to @referee34 after they reached their maiden Leinster Club Hurling final with a three-point win against Kilmacud Crokeshttps://t.co/Q6oGOmvCBN
— Midlands 103 Sport (@MidlandsSport) December 12, 2021
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